So, still don’t see how things are any different.

[totdprods]

Suarez was doing great in long-relief a season or two ago before they moved him into the rotation. I still believe in him.  I think the pitch-clock is getting to him. He’s not a dominant stuff guy - but he is a good ‘pitcher’ vs thrower. It’s something mental he needs to overcome. Maybe working in the pen will help him adjust to the urgency of things a little bit, let his stuff play up more in short bursts, and he can be as effective as Davidson and Barria have been. It’s gonna be real hard to hold onto all three of those guys for long though. They all sort of fit the same role, and that’s three guys for basically 1.5 spots (I counted half because I think ideally, one of those guys are optionable in the grand scheme of things)…maybe Davidson sticks in rotation and that helps the logjam a bit but as of now, that clog is really hurting the team in both a production and roster flexibility standpoint.

[DMVol]

10 minutes ago, Stradling said:

I would have rather seen Loup than Barria last night. 

In hindsight, sure....but Barria had overall been better.....

[Stradling]

3 minutes ago, DMVol said:

In hindsight, sure....but Barria had overall been better.....

I have nothing to support this but it feels like Barria hits the middle of the plate way too often and gives up hard contact. 

[oldguy]

1 hour ago, Reveille1984 said:

We also have 7 blown saves already, most in MLB.  Just Angels things!

We just struggle too much with late-inning relief to contend.  It seems every close win comes with a sigh of relief, and that's just not going to work over 162 games.

[T.G.]

I think a lot of Angel fans are feeling the pressure of this being a "must-win" season because of Ohtani's pending free agency. Expectations are through the roof. Some of you are wound a little too tight.  Every single thing is magnified for some of you. 

I know it may be hard for some of you... but for goodness sake, take a step back. This game is played by human beings and no one is perfect.  The Angels aren't going to make wholesale changes 23 games into a season.  Fans are knee-jerk in their reactions (DFA Thaiss!). Good front offices are not.  They're making adjustments... we see it every week.  They called up Neto.  They handed the starting catching job to O'Hoppe.  They've made moves in the bullpen.  You might think they're sitting on their hands - but they're working on a solution, IMO.  Some things have to play out in real time.  Not in fandom time.

I truly believe Minasian has a real sense of urgency to get to the postseason.  He's not playing fantasy baseball.  Some of you clearly are...

This team is headed in the right direction.  If you take a step back, it's easy to see.  The results aren't there yet - but I believe they're going to continue to improve.

[mmc]

1 hour ago, totdprods said:

Ignoring the pen was really, really bad. 

Why do people keep saying this?  They didn't ignore it, they signed Estevez and Moore.  The players they acquired (both last offseason and the one prior) aren't performing

[Jason]

2 hours ago, James said:

You do know you have complete control of this. It isnt that hard to find other "hobbies". 

I’m talking about being a fan of a team. It’s almost impossible to just switch teams. It would be great to just be a fan of the sport and have zero emotional attachment to a particular team. As far as other hobbies, I spend much more time with them than I do Angels baseball 

[Angelsjunky]

For better or worse, we just need to ride it out for awhile. The only change I'd personally make is send Suarez to AAA (and/or put him in the bullpen), and insert Davidson until you feel like Silseth is ready (which is soon).

You've got to hope the bats come around. They shown enough to think that they will. Bullpen will remain a work in progress.

Think of how bummed out many are, and the Angels are still 11-12. Meaning, a few positive breaks and they go on an 8-2 run and are 5 games over .500. 

[totdprods]

57 minutes ago, mmc said:

Why do people keep saying this?  They didn't ignore it, they signed Estevez and Moore.  The players they acquired (both last offseason and the one prior) aren't performing

Because the players they acquired last offseason didn’t perform all that great, and it was obvious that even after Moore and Estevez we could have used another arm or two. 

[stormngt]

1 hour ago, DMVol said:

In hindsight, sure....but Barria had overall been better.....

Barria should not be in a save situation!  Neither should Wantz.

[DMVol]

1 hour ago, stormngt said:

Barria should not be in a save situation!  Neither should Wantz.

There wasn’t a 3rd option to the question…it was Barria vs Loup….I’d still take Barria….

[Jason]

1 hour ago, Angelsjunky said:

For better or worse, we just need to ride it out for awhile. The only change I'd personally make is send Suarez to AAA (and/or put him in the bullpen), and insert Davidson until you feel like Silseth is ready (which is soon).

You've got to hope the bats come around. They shown enough to think that they will. Bullpen will remain a work in progress.

Think of how bummed out many are, and the Angels are still 11-12. Meaning, a few positive breaks and they go on an 8-2 run and are 5 games over .500. 

Isn’t Suarez out of options? I assume he would be claimed 

Edited April 25, 2023 by Jason

[Jason]

3 minutes ago, DMVol said:

There wasn’t a 3rd option to the question…it was Barria vs Loup….I’d still take Barria….

That’s like the difference between turds that float or sink 

[Angelsjunky]

32 minutes ago, Jason said:

Isn’t Suarez out of options? I assume he would be claimed 

OK, then dump him in the bullpen and use either Davidson or Barria until Silseth is ready.

[Jason]

2 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

OK, then dump him in the bullpen and use either Davidson or Barria until Silseth is ready.

I’m not sure there is another choice. No way they can continue to start him

[Stradling]

4 hours ago, DMVol said:

In hindsight, sure....but Barria had overall been better.....

I guess what I meant was I’d rather give the ball to Loup in the 10th because we already saw what kind of stuff Barria was working with in the 9th.  

[Duren, Duren]

The team is not well balanced. They mostly  win by only two ways. By outslugging a team. Or a dominant pitched game from Ohtani. 

Really, they play stationary baseball. Not a lot of 'small ball' to challenge the defense or make things happen on the base paths. They don't need to morph into a Francona type team, but they should have a more versatile roster. Realizing of course that much of the budget goes to the sluggers. 

Even Ohtani with his speed gets caught stealing  or picked off first much more than should happen. Discipline, scouting, coaching are also factors. Trout supposedly had/has better than average speed, but it isn't used to advantage as much as it could. Injury potential being a realistic reason i suppose. 

Obviously they have enough power to put up runs. But in close games you also need pitching, defense, and the ability to manufacture a run other than waiting for the long ball. The better pitchers on other teams understand the Angels approach and often tempt bad power swings when patience and using the whole field would help. 

I may be the only critic, but I'm tired of seeing Ohtani treating each at bat like it was a home run derby. And having his helmet fly off with wild swings. He has so much talent that he could be more situationally unpredictable.  And dare I say it, more of a team player? The media treats him like Babe Ruth, and I guess he's locked into the unicorn mindset. Especially in a free agent year. 

The other main issue is pitching. But that's a different discussion. As well as ownership and management. 

 

[Docwaukee]

they're a good team that isn't winning as many winnable games as they should be.  In years past, they just weren't very good.  

[Stradling]

2 minutes ago, Docwaukee said:

they're a good team that isn't winning as many winnable games as they should be.  In years past, they just weren't very good.  

Thanks for adding some perspective 

[DMVol]

1 hour ago, Stradling said:

I guess what I meant was I’d rather give the ball to Loup in the 10th because we already saw what kind of stuff Barria was working with in the 9th.  

I understood. Things get out of context pretty quickly here sometimes.

[Angels 1961]

With this bullpen halos will be lucky to be a 500 team. When Tepera comes back you will him and Loup as 2 pitchers you do not want to see in a close game. They need help and they need it now in the bullpen. 

[Angel Oracle]

8 hours ago, totdprods said:

Honestly, I think that’s close. And I think my post above also isn’t lost on the FO. I think they know these things too, and just wanted to see how things settle before making any decisions as far as cutting bait on guys or setting players at certain positions, but it’s becoming pretty apparent. 

There will be an adjustment from the stupid trial tacky ball in the Southern League.

The sooner the better

[AngelFanInTheATL]

3 hours ago, Docwaukee said:

they're a good team that isn't winning as many winnable games as they should be.  In years past, they just weren't very good.  

With all respect, you've posted this in a lot of threads but there's nothing to back it up.  Especially the first four words.

 

[stormngt]

5 hours ago, DMVol said:

There wasn’t a 3rd option to the question…it was Barria vs Loup….I’d still take Barria….

There should have been more available.   This loss is really on the front office.

[Inside Pitch]

1 hour ago, AngelFanInTheATL said:

With all respect, you've posted this in a lot of threads but there's nothing to back it up.  Especially the first four words.

 

Well.... the offense to date has posted an OPS+ of 104, the pitching staff an ERA+ of 112 -- typically teams that can hit and pitch above the league averages tend to be "good teams".  Unfortunately they seemingly find new and annoying ways to beat themselves far too often. Defense is " interesting", lets leave it at that.